Thursday, 15 October 2009

How to Talk to People - 9 Super Success Tips

We admire those who know how to talk to people, or have the innate ability to easily engage in a conversation even in an unfamiliar gathering. Others believe that some are born with the natural ability to talk to people or they have what they call the gift of the gab. However, the ability to talk or convey ideas whether in a small group or up on stage before a large audience is not an innate ability but an acquired skill. It can be learned, enhanced, and perfected. All you need are the right information and the determination to do it.

Were you disappointed before because you were not born with the gift? Then worry no more and start to learn the skill. To begin with, here are some helpful tips on how to talk to people.

1. Be presentable. You do not need to get the best couturier in town to have you packaged. All you have to do is to be dressed appropriately. It is one way of building your self-confidence and it will help you to act confidently.

2. Keep a pocket full of information. Be up to date with the current events, and keep a mental list of good topics of discussion. These are handy tools to keep you ready to talk to almost anybody.

3. Get yourself centered and focused. This is a basic if we want to establish connection with the person or people we are talking to. Develop the ability to shake off recent events that somehow ruined your day. Take a few minutes if you need to before engaging in any conversation.

4. Be respectful. Respect the feelings, emotions and opinions of others. Everyone has the right to their opinion and it is healthy to agree that we disagree. Let every one have their moment to be heard and sincerely listen to them. That way it would give them a sense of importance.

5. Maintain eye contact. It is one way of showing interest in the person we are talking to. Women, they say, maintain eye contact more than men but men could acquire the skill through practice. Movements or stray thoughts tend to sidetrack a person. Be aware of them and learn to ignore them.

6. Listen. Listening is a serious business. It is easy to talk and talk but we defeat the purpose and lose the chance of establishing rapport. There are

situations that are more important where active listening is imperative. You will not miss the cue for your turn if you listen attentively.

7. Establish rapport. It is not an easy thing but sincerity is the key that unlocks the door in establishing rapport. Synchronizing behavior or mimicking the pose, facial expression, gestures, body language, and tone of voice of the other person are ways of building rapport.

8. Adopt a positive attitude. Make sure your words, tone and gestures are all saying the same thing. Find out what you have in common, or if you seem to have nothing in common, adjust. Try to become the other person for a short time.

9. Always ask an open ended question. This will help the continuous flow of conversation and will help you and the group to keep the encounter alive and flowing with information.

Discovering how to connect with others and employing these strategies will make one successful in talking to people. Talk means to express, exchange ideas by means of spoken words or to convey information or communicate in any way. Take these simple steps and you are sure to make the act of talking to people fascinating and memorable for all. One day someone may come up to you and ask where you learned how to talk to people.